Mining in Minnesota

What's mined in Minnesota?

Minnesota is the largest producer of iron ore and
taconite in the United States. Even though nearly all of the high grade
natural iron ore in Minnesota has already been mined, advances in technology
have found a use for lower grade iron ore, called taconite. The taconite
is crushed, processed into hard, marble-sized pellets, and shipped to steel
mills. The taconite pellets are melted in blast furnaces and then blown
with oxygen to make steel. Minnesota currently has seven operating taconite
plants which make the pellets. About 44 million tons of taconite pellets
were shipped from the state in 1996. That's enough to fill over 500,000
railroad cars! In the past, iron ore was mined on three iron ranges
- the Cuyuna, Mesabi and Vermilion - and also in Fillmore County in southeastern
Minnesota. Today, only the Mesabi Range still has iron ore/taconite mining
taking place.

Clay is mined in the Minnesota River Valley. Clay is used in
making bricks, porcelain, tiles, and medicines. Companies are currently
exploring Minnesota for higher grade kaolin (KAY-a-lin) clay, which is
a fine, white clay used to add a glossy look to paper. Today, Georgia is
the largest producer of kaolin clay in the United States.

About 11,000 years ago, glaciers covered Minnesota. These glaciers left
behind large amounts of sand and gravel. There are sand and gravel
mining operations in nearly every county in Minnesota. You may not think
of sand and gravel as a valuable resource, but without it concrete could
not be made. Highways, roads, bridges and many buildings are made of concrete.
Sand is also used along with salt to melt ice on roads and to provide better
traction in the snow.

Silica sand is a very fine sand composed of quartz (a white to
colorless mineral) and is mined in the southeastern part of Minnesota.
It is used to make glass, as a source of silicon, and is used in oil drilling
to improve the flow of oil to oil wells.

Granite and limestone are used in the construction of homes,
buildings, roads and tombstones. These rocks are often mined in large blocks
from a quarry. When granite or limestone is mined this way, it is called
dimension stone. Look at the buildings in your town. Are any made with
limestone or granite?

Peat is formed by partially decomposing plant material in wet
environments, such as bogs or fens, where more plant material is produced
than is decomposed. If peat is a plant, how can it be a mineral? Peat is
the beginning of the fossilization of the plants. Fossil fuels, such as
coal, began as plant material too. Peat is used mainly in the gardening
industry, but it is also used for compost, turkey litter, absorbing oil,
and fuel. Next time you are in the gardening store, look for peat.

These are the only minerals currently mined in Minnesota. Manganese,
copper, nickel, and titanium have also been discovered in the state
in minable quantities, but are not of high enough quality under today's
prices to mine profitably. Exploration for additional resources, such as
gold, platinum, diamonds, zinc, and lead, continues today in Minnesota.